Prestbury Cheshire. Photographs by Oliver Wood
Coming soon, A gallery of more ‘expressive’ and experimental photos of Prestbury Cheshire.
Prestbury Park July 2007.
The following pages contain assorted "visual musings" on Prestbury
and surrounding areas. A highly varied and atmospheric landscape is one of the most
enthralling aspects of this part of Cheshire ranging from the open lowlands of Chelford
to the dramatic wilderness of the Peak District. A veritable patchwork indeed, and all of
it steeped in unique qualities of ancient rural folk-law and early industrial era
whimsy.
The following pages also include details of the famous StPeter's
church which forms both the geographical and cultural hub of the Prestbury community,
with its unique Norman chapel satellite (almost 1000 years old) StPeters is one of
Cheshire’s most notable Norman artefacts and the largest parish church in the
county.
Hare Hill. June 2007
Hare Hill Gardens is an NT property close to Prestbury and Mottram
St Andrew. It is one of my favourite local places. A large and secluded walled garden
forms the centrepiece and it can at times feel very mysterious.
Hare Hill. June 2007
Another view of one of the wire men on horseback sculptures. Both
of these images were shot with a Nikon D80 and have been intentionally over
saturated.
Prestbury phone Box. April 2007
Prestbury has managed to maintain its vintage GPO era telephone
box. The ‘Routemaster ‘ of road side furniture and a British design icon
which is steadily becoming rarer.
Spirit of Mr Nuttal. Feb 2007
Priests House hanging-basket. July 2004
Hanging baskets seem to be one of the village's trademarks. This
year they are particularly spectacular and colourful. This one hangs at the entrance to
the Jacobean "priests house" now the village branch of Natwest Bank. The Mid and East
Cheshire lowlands are renowned for a wealth of Tudor and Jacobean heritage. Three other
notable examples include Adlington Hall, Gawsworth Hall, and Capesthorne Hall, and all
are within a short distance of Prestbury. There are a number of large and secluded
private residences in the vicinity of the village that are also notable artifacts from
the Tudor and Jacobean eras.
Prestbury High Street. June 2006
This is a more up to date view of the Jacobean ‘Priests
House’, ‘Church House’ (in the foreground), and the main part of the
village. The baskets are not quite as spectacular as 2004 but the rather attractive
barrel tubs are a pleasant new addition.
The Old School House. June 2006
The building that is now home to the village branch of RBS,
Bridgfords and a very small library was at one time a village school house. The twelve
plates on the left hand side wall indicate Prestbury’s impressive track record as a
winner of the ‘best kept village award’.
A weavers house. June 2006
Many buildings in Prestbury have connections with
Macclesfield’s famous silk industry and were home to weavers and other textile
workers. These uncharacteristically large windows were designed to facilitate the
intricate work and provide as much light as possible. There is also a nice shadow cast by
one of the village’s new street lamps.
Butley Cottage. June 2006.
Butley Cottage is just outside the Village centre and despite all of the problems with traffic, it still retains that unique rural Cheshire ambience evoking a sense of Prestbury's quiet and remote past. The history of this building is quite well documented. John Swallow lived here for forty years and further historical information on Butley's past can be found on his website.
White Nancy Aug 2004
White Nancy is perched on top of Kerridge Hill over looking
Bollington and commands a spectacular 270-degree view across the Peak District and the
Cheshire planes. This picture was taken on a very hot day, but it is so high up that even
the sub stratospheric Sirius cloud appears quite low in the sky. It is a highly energised
place, and fantastic after dark (if you are brave enough to be up there!) you can look
down on the entire expanse of Macclesfield, Bollington, and Manchester in the far
distance and all marked out as extraordinary pools of light. I have not yet seen a "black
triangular UFO", stalking "panther like" creatures, or encountered ritualistic neo-pagans
but here's hoping. You're actually more likely to encounter a local tagging crew
with bags of spray paint.
Waulkmill Falls Aug 2004
It's not Niagara and its not all natural but it is quite an
interesting spot. This 'water fall' (or is it a weir?) is hidden away on the East side of
Kerridge Hill where the River Dean is partially culverted on its way to Ingersley Clough.
The river provided power for the now disused dye works at Ingersley and there is plenty
of evidence of man-made manipulations on its course.
Rainow "Scarecrow" July 2005
In July the village of Rainow in the foot hills of the Peak
District and not far from Prestbury hosts a strange festival or ritual where everyone
decorates houses, gardens, and verges, with curious mannequins. Some are set into
thematic tableau's, and others seem to represent situations from real life such as
resting hill walkers and runners. The villagers' refer to these meta humans as
"scarecrows". See 9th July entry on Diary Page or Rainow
Curiosities
New Road. Oct 2005
New Road from Bridge Green. Part of The tallest building in this
shot was once a cricket togs shop jointly owned by Tim Hudson and Ian Botham. Its
eccentric qualities (which included a huge esoteric name board and red, gold, and green,
rendering) became almost synonymous with the colourful and vaguely bohemian character of
Prestbury during its 70s heyday as a retreat for flamboyant meritocrats and celebrities.
The village was also famous for its privately owned Off License selling an unusual and
exotic array of beverages, plus a proper local produce grocer. Now unfortunately all
replaced by run of the mill chain stores.
Village Store. Oct 2005
A closer view of the New Road "parade" some times known as the
Butley side of the village. The flats above the concealed "Village Store" have recently
been renovated in preparation for letting. This part of the village has tended to become
steadily more commercial as residential properties and flats have been taken over by
business concerns. Now the tallest building in the photo is entirely occupied by an
office of financial consultants.
Bridge Hotel. Oct 2005
This building was originally a farm dating from 1626, many of the
other white buildings in the village date from the late 17th to mid 18th century. I think
it was converted into a hotel in the 1950s but many of the original features still
predominate inside.
Ford House. July 2000
New Road. December 2000
We had quite heavy snow falls and frosts during the Christmas week. The restaurant that used to be Thymes is now called The Watermark (the sign is rather over exposed) its quite attractive and contemporary, but I have always thought that Thymes slightly bohemian cosy den like feel suited that building very well, Geof Leigh Ford's monkey murals were quite amusing.